Corporate Voices for Working Families, Inc.
- Our Third Anniversary

(Article originally published by WFC Resources, July 2004, as a Guest Column written by Donna Klein, president and CEO, Corporate Voices for Working Families)

Corporate Voices for Working Families will be three years old in August 2004. Although we are certainly "a toddler" of a company in terms of chronological age, we are sprinting ahead.

We have 46 outstanding partner companies, representing over four million working families who collectively drive more then $800 billion in revenues annually. Founded to bring the knowledge and expertise of corporate America into the national dialogue on family policy, Corporate Voices continues to not only increase the number of company partners, but also our national supporters.

Data points we are proud of include:

Beginning

Our original strategy meeting was on September 11, 2001. Our original founding companies, including IBM, Marriott, Baxter, Verizon, Agere Systems, AOL Time Warner and Merrill Lynch, supported by Brad Googins (Boston College), Ellen Galinsky (Families and Work Institute), and Theresa Mayberry Dunn (an Annie E. Casey Fellow), were meeting at the Marriott Hotel in Pentagon City when the terrorist attack on the Pentagon occurred. While we watched the smoke pour from the Pentagon, we watched TV in real time, and in disbelief, as the second World Trade Tower was hit and both towers fell. Our lives, like of most of the world, changed in that moment.

I think our resolve – to change family life in America – solidified in that moment as well! After checking on our families and loved ones, we completed our agenda for the day. We had defined our four pillars of work – national policy improvements; support for children and the elderly; the search for flexibility and control of time; and the special needs of economically-challenged families. A broad focus seemed most appropriate on that transformational day.

Speaking with "One Voice

Some wondered if it was going to be possible for a group of corporations to reach agreement on anything. But our persistence prevailed and we were extremely fortunate, right out of the box, to develop a partnership on Early Childhood Education with the Business Roundtable. Our tiny new company worked hand-in-hand with the large and powerful Business Roundtable, a relationship that was fostered by Ceridian’s Vice President of Government Relations, Jim O’Connell, and Texas Instruments’ Vice President of Government Relations, Paula Collins. With their help, our first policy agenda was born – Key Principles of Early Childhood Education: A Call to Action for the Business Community.

Our Legislative Committee also came into being. In fact, Jim O’Connell became chairman of the Legislative Committee and also assumed "coaching responsibility," as we toddled around the political "neighborhood" of Capitol Hill, and monitored our activity to ensure we were bipartisan. Believe me, Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood it isn’t!

Aiding Jim in our education was Joan Lombardi, the long-term children’s advocate who founded the Child Care Bureau and was a Clinton appointee. As our first and current Advisory Council Chair, Joan has been instrumental in identifying and recruiting the dream team of advisors for Corporate Voices from the non-profit community. From the beginning until today, the thought leaders on our advisory council have worked to guide our work and our development to be sure that we maximized progress while maintaining our independence and bipartisanship. (Click here to see a list of participating corporations, Legislative Committee notes and Advisory Council members).

Fast Forward

Since the creation of our first policy agenda on early education we have moved into action on all of our pillars of work. With the development of a framework around Family Economic Stability we are now fully engaged.

"Family Economic Stability"

In the fall of 2003, Corporate Voices designed an EITC (earned income tax credit) toolkit with the help of Marriott and TJX Companies. The toolkit was designed by business for its managers, and incorporates the unique knowledge and experience of managers who interact daily with the hourly workforce. Special communications included in the toolkit discourage the use of fee-paid tax preparers and accelerated returns on refund checks. Both practices are perceived as politically exploitive and diminish the value of the credit to the family.

The EITC toolkit was widely applauded by businesses and public sector organizations. Published on the IRS website as well as other pubic sector websites, the toolkit is downloadable and customizable. Estimated distribution based on partner distribution channels and website data indicate that we've reached nearly 10 million families with this education.

A model practices for low-wage employer research report was conducted by Boston College and Corporate Voices for Working Families. The report, released on April 22, 2004, documented unique, successful and sustainable programs from fifteen different companies. Both the EITC Toolkit and the Model Programs and Policies for Hourly and Lower Wage Employees have received extensive press coverage in the major markets.

"After School/Out of School Programs"

On June 3, 2004, Corporate Voices released our second policy agenda, "After School for All: A Call to Action for the Business Community." The policy was created by the Corporate Voices Task Force which included partner companies, Abbott Laboratories, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Caliber Associates, CVS Pharmacy, H. E. Butt Grocery Company, Knowledge Learning Corporation, Time Warner, Inc., and WFD Consulting, with input from the Advisory Council. The policy agenda outlines seven key principles that should define all after school programs. Future-focused, it represents the collective opinion of our partner companies as to what quality after school looks like, and endorses the concept that this program should be available to all families regardless of ability to pay. Copies have been distributed to all members of Congress as well as Corporate Voices strategic outreach alliance partners.

"Eldercare"

We have a dynamic Task Force on Eldercare as well, chaired by Mike Shum of IBM. Members include Allstate, Bank of America, Ceridian, Ernst & Young, GlaxoSmithKline, J P Morgan Chase, LifeCare, Inc., Marriott International, Mellon Financial, National Alliance for Caregiving, and Tarr-Whelan Associates. We are currently completing a profile of what our member companies are currently doing on eldercare, including company demographics, program responses, etc. So far we have data for nearly 20 companies. This information, when compiled, will inform a proposal for funding our joint work and identify status of knowledge, best practices, statement of principles, analysis of legislative landscape and business case. We expect the data collecting to continue forward for some time since eldercare is the most under- analyzed area of the work life arena.

"Flexibility"

We have been awarded a new grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to develop the business case for flexibility for both management and hourly workers. The project will include an employee survey, the development of a report on Status of Flexibility in Corporate America and will conclude with a convening of seven leadership or partnership companies. Partner companies on the Task Force are Accenture, Eli Lilly, Ernst & Young, J P Morgan Chase, Marriott, and Merck.

Concurrent Activity

Corporate Voices is in the process of conducting our first public polling project. Funded by Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Ford foundation, we have retained Peter Hart Research & Wirthlin Worldwide, a bipartisan polling team, to assess the general public’s perception of lower wage earners, and their own perception of the challenge. We are targeting the release of the polling report around Labor Day before the unofficial kick-off of the presidential campaign activities. Our objective is to continue to shine light on the challenges faced by this segment of the workforce as they are minimally supported by corporate policy and many times fall through the cracks of public policy initiatives.

We are also funding a radio series developed by WAMU 88.5 FM, a local NPR affiliate. The series will consist of ten segments to be aired during morning and afternoon drive times in Washington, D.C. and other NPR syndicated markets. The series will identify the work-life issues of low wage earners and document some of the policy challenges faced by this workforce segment. The series will culminate in a one-hour documentary.

Looking back

After nearly three years, we can see that we've made real progress in bridging the private and public sector. Our goal is to see business and policymakers collaborating and creating workable, fair family policies to move forward. In fact, there is real evidence – in the press coverage of outreach capability and website visits – that Corporate Voices is becoming the "go to" organization on matters of policy issues that impact working families. We think we are well-positioned to grow, and we are optimistic about the future.

With 46 companies, we are a big voice – but the target audience is even bigger. We encourage you to join us in our effort to make the U.S. a more family friendly country.

Our Staff

John Wilcox Deputy Director 202-429-0268
Lynn Mitchell Policy Director 202-429-0321
Susan Lee Lewis Executive Assistant 202-429-0217
Donna Klein President and CEO 202-429-0268